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Saturday, May 27, 2017

Bullet Journal for Moms

Hey everyone! I apologize for the loooong break in blogging. I don't know why I thought I was super busy as a new mom to infants, but for some reason I had more free time in the evenings to blog. Now that my kids are older in preschool and 1st grade, my nights are filled with PTA meetings, after school activities, mom nights out, cleaning, laundry and the list goes on. Anyone else feel the same way?

So, in order to try to get organized with all of our family activities, I have tried to jump on the Bullet Journal train. Have you heard of this yet? I love my Erin Condren journal but it's so big that I have a hard time fitting into my purses and totes. AND I wish it had more space for things like menu planning and to-do lists! So these past few months I started bullet journaling.

What is a Bullet Journal?

It's basically a blank book that you, yes you, have to draw and make your own calendar, pages, dates, etc. The original idea came from a guy named Ryder Carrol and you can watch his video on it here.

I watched the video and then went on You tube to watch a bunch of other people's videos and ideas and let me tell ya, there are A LOT! And I mean fancy drawings and lettering which I just don't have time for. But I wanted to try something else to help me get better organized, so I decided to give it a shot.

Basically, you get a blank book, and design your own calendars.

I added the week days on the left side of the page, and then I added things I needed to do and keep track of for the week on the right (Menu planning, sleep tracker for my kids, shopping and to-do lists). I like that everyone that bullet journals will have a different way of organizing their life so we will all have different things listed. I think these journals would also work well if you have an infant and want to keep track of naps, feedings, etc. As much as I love my Condren, I needed a few more spaces to fill in things like Menu Planning for the week and better To-Do's as you can see below. I also changed the layout the next week. I think the fun part is trying new ways of designing it, until you feel it fits the way your brain works :)

Ha, not as pretty as others online, but it works for me!

I also have a few pages of extras like our Disney trip a few weeks ago, a list of Books I am reading for my book clubs, camps for the kids, and a Key for what the symbols mean. So say you have a trip coming up and want to jot down your itinerary, it's nice you have extra pages in between so you can fill it in, then add your calendar weeks.

So, for those that want to begin, here are the basics you will need:

1. JournalsLeuchtturn journal brand is THE go-to brand for bullet journaling. They are leather hard bound covers and come with 3 bookmark ribbons. The inside as you can see in the pics above, has little tiny dots across the page so you can draw across the pages easier and do more charts. I chose a pink color for the cover but there are a ton of color choices:

2. Pens! I love shopping for colored pens. It reminds me of school supply shopping :) Here are a few of my faves that won't bleed through the paper.

Calligraphy Markers:

3. Rulers

You can always use a regular ruler to make straight lines, but these come with shapes and fun images to trace!

4. Tabs

I use Post-it Tabs on the sides with the Month printed on them, so I can quickly turn to the page I am looking for. You can also use the ribbons as bookmarks too.

5. Pencil Case

I use small pencil cases to store all of my pens and supplies inside, and I can slip it easily into my purse. It helps to have it handy when I'm out, if I'm waiting in a waiting room or carpool line I can work on my journal. I prefer zipper pouches, and have even found some good ones at Dollar Tree.

If you like watching ideas on You Tube, one of my faves for inspiration is Amanda Rach Lee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZx0BhkY_9I.

I'll keep you posted on how it works for me this year. Between my iPhone calendar, Erin Condren and my Bullet Journal, hopefully something will keep me better organized!